


Starscream Killed Cliffjumper

by RobuttsInYourThighs



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Angst, Bickering, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Torture, Trine - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:34:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27387250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobuttsInYourThighs/pseuds/RobuttsInYourThighs
Summary: based on an ask from my tumblr:Starscream telling Arcee and the Autobots he killed Cliffjumper cause Cliff killed Star’s trine with an explosion and Bumblebee sadly admits that it’s true and Star tearfully says that Skywarp and Thundercracker were the last of his loved ones after losing Vos... "I lost everyone... At least you still have Jack and your fellow Autobots!" 💔I kind of took the idea of this and went on a bender. I’ve been writing this on my phone for... well, however long this ask has been in my inbox!
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	Starscream Killed Cliffjumper

He was backed into a corner yet again. That blasted femme always had it out for him, even after all this struggle and strife to hop on board the Autobot goody-two-shoes-train. He always had to prove himself, even when he wasn't up to something he was never fully trusted and especially not by her. He just wanted a ration, that was all, and Ratchet had sanctioned it and Bumblebee offered to go as his chaperone but it didn't stop Arcee's pent up frustration and mistrust from tailing the seeker and exploding at him.

"I've been with you lot for nearly a year and you STILL want to badger me?" The seeker cracked open the corner of his cube right there in the storage room, not wanting to give the two-wheeler enough time to make him lose his appetite by stalking him to his hab-suite as well.

"It's not badgering, it's questioning. I deserve answers, and the team deserves to know what you REALLY are." The former Con-turned-Not-quite-Autobot sneered.

"And what am I, exactly?" He leaned over her, a common intimidation tactic he used when on occasion he was taller than the other person in the room. "I would so LOVE for you to tell me."

Bumblebee tried to fit between the two somewhat, hands held up while buzzing and beeping his concern and warning Arcee to move back. The blue and pink motorcycle refused, clenching her fists and fighting to not transform out her blasters.

"You are a sick monster who has killed more Cybertronians than any Autobot or 'Con! You killed Cliffjumper in cold blood!" The jet sucked his teeth in irritation and leaned back from her space, folding an arm over his torso and resting his elbow on the back of his hand.

"Oh this old song and dance again? Please, find something new to hyperfixate on," he sneered dismissively, 'We've all lost someone in this war, you're not SPECIAL. Look at your scout, he's always sunshine and fluttering doors despite what Megatron did to his vocalizer." The seeker flicked his wings irritably and his plating flared around his collar and sides, a sign he was more upset than he was letting on. Arcee read him well enough to not want to back down yet, even with Bumblebee between them and actually having to put his servos on her shoulders to keep her back.

"You're nothing but an emotionless, unfeeling BEAST! You're unfit to call yourself a Cybertronian!" The seeker curled his lip in a snarl at that, wings rattling and giving the femme the justification she wanted to finally ping the entire base to assist.

Bee could only keep Arcee back for so long, but he'd be nearly helpless to stop an attack from Starscream. The two wheeler scoffed at the display and took a couple of steps back from the amount of force Bumblebee was putting against the femme.

"Look at you, Screamer. You're NOTHING. No wonder you don't care about the pain and suffering you dish out. You've never known what it's like to lose someone. Who would care about a sparkless THING like YOU??"  
Arcee didn't have time to flinch when the cube of energon was smashed into her face, the liquid splashing out and covering Bumblebee's chest and arms.  
The room exploded with movement, Optimus and Bulkhead bursting into the storage room and grabbing both of Starscream's arms and pinning them back and under his wings, Ratchet closely following with the stasis cuffs needed restrain his hands and wings.

On the other side of the spat Arcee was thrashing against Bumblebee until Wheeljack jogged in and promptly bear-hugged her from behind, lifting her off her pedes and trying to get her to stop yelling and listen. Smokescreen stood at the door, watching the chaos unfold and unable to tell what was happening before they'd arrived to the shouting pair smothered in wasted energon.

"Let me at him! Let me go!! He deserves to pay for what he did!!" Arcee nearly got an arm loose to transform it but Bee caught it in time, beeping and pinging her desperately to stop.

Starscream was forced to the ground rather quickly, pinned while the bots bound his wrists and wings.

"Told ya it was a matter of time before Starscream tried something," Wheeljack called over. "Better get on disarming him quick, doc, before 'Cee does it for us."  
The scout finally had enough. He revved his engine so loudly the whole room was filled with the vibrations of it. When it stopped Arcee was still, though venting heavily from her struggling, and Starscream was seething quietly.

::Arcee started it!:: Bumblebee group-commed them, including Starscream so he knew he wasn't going to just let this go by without all sides knowing exactly how this went down.

That certainly changed the perspective of things a little. Wheeljack flattened his mouth into one of thin annoyance since he looked like an aft for accusing Starscream of being the root of this predicament. Bulkhead and Optimus helped him up and kept him steady on his feet.

"Starscream, can you tell us what happened? Why would you resort to violence?" Optimus started, wanting to open a dialog where the seeker could be heard.

"That's all he knows, Optimus! He only knows how to destroy and kill!" Arcee shouted past the Autobot leader. Starscream's heckles raised again, wings clattering in their confines even as Optimus began to admonish Arcee.

"HE GOT WHAT HE DESERVED!!" He shouted over the Prime's voice. "Did it HURT, Arcee?! Did you feel his spark GUTTER?!! Did it HURT?! DID HE TAKE PART OF YOUR SPARK WITH HIM?!" Starscream's voice was strong, unwavering and profoundly pained. "I can only hope so! I hope I gave him just one ounce of the pain he put in me when he slaughtered MY TRINE!!"

The two wheeler opened her mouth to argue back initially but couldn't process what she was hearing right away. She was immediately skeptical of his claim. "How? Your what??"

"My _**bonded**_!" Starscream stamped his pede in frustration, bending forward and wanting to just collapse but the sturdy Autobots on either side of him holding onto his arms prevented that. "He ripped them away from me! He tore their wings off and made them watch each other while they were TORTURED!!" He tried to lunge forwardn in his hurt and fury, Optimus and Bulkhead changing stances to hold him back more easily.

"He wouldn't do that!" Arcee bit back, though the bite in her voice was ebbing into confusion.

"You don't believe that, do you?" Starscream looked up at her, coolant having flooded down his face in his grief. "You were his partner. You know he delighted in torturing the enemy, don't you?"

"Starscream," Optimus spoke up. "Autobots do not condone unnecessary torture of prisoners. If what you're saying is true, please understand it was never under any order to do so. I am sorry for your loss."

Following Optimus' lead, Bulkhead gave a light pat to the jet's shoulder. "Its messed up that that happened to you... I'm sorry." Bee gave a small whirring noise of sympathy to the seeker, knowing his words wouldn't be enough to help his ache.

The jet was finally settling into his footing and standing properly and very still. A calm came over him as he shoved his hurt and pain deep down. Something finally clicked in Arcee's mind while she watched the jet mask his emotions and lift his helm with pride. The way he brought his snarkiness back into his voice so effortlessly and pretended there were no wet streaks on his cheeks from the tears that were streaming just a moment ago.

This was what she always saw as his facade- his ability to just LIE and feign emotion he couldn't actually feel, the remorseless way he would dupe others into helping him and then stab them in the back without batting an optic, but her perspective had shifted.

His raw emotion, his unhinged E.M. field lashing out just moments before would be a tremendous feat to fake. His shift into calm was not a lack of actual emotion, but it was his defense. How often did he have to do this? To be this convincing? How long had he developed this skill to just HIDE his pain?? How much trauma... His bonded... To lose such an integral part of your spark not once but twice at the same time? Bots wouldn't normally survive that without going insane, which she thought he was up until this point.

He was untrusting, angry, bitter, and always plotting for his own survival, none of that changed. The only new ingredient was the WHY. He wasn't cruel for cruelty's sake. He was just another victim of this ridiculous war, and he was acting out of revenge against Cliffjumper.

In spite of everything he had still joined the Autobots, coming to them scarred and broken almost beyond repair, all at the hands of the Decepticon warlord he never fully obeyed. Everything made so much sense but made it so much harder for Arcee to feel steady.

Her beliefs were upended and in an instant it was as if she didn't know anything anymore.. Who could she be angry with? Who was the real victim here? Who was the monster? She had no focus, she had no real motive if she didn't know??  
The clawed servo on her helm startled her from her thoughts and she looked up to see Starscream's calm, vermilion optics gazing down into hers.

"Ground yourself, Arcee. Be proud that you've come so far." What was he saying?? Was he mocking her? A small wave of regret trickled from his field against hers. "Let's clean you up. It's only fair I start taking care of the messes I create." She pulled herself back from his touch and Wheeljack eased his hold on her when he was sure she wasn't going to go on the offensive.

The two wheeler realized she'd been covered in thrown energon and he was offering to make amends. After everything, all these years, he was sorry without actually saying it. She understood him more clearly now, though it would have been easier to just keep hating him senselessly. Jack would be pretty disappointed if she went about like that.

He had already expressed concerns for her before due to her conduct when it came to Starscream and Airachnid. She heaved a sigh and turned on her heel to follow the jet as he began to walk.

"Fine. Let's put this behind us." She sounded stiff and unsure. "No funny business."

Starscream scoffed. "Please, you're hardly my type." The jet brushed his wing against Wheeljack's door as he moved past him, startling the wrecker into turning to give them room to go by and catching the suggestive stare the jet gave. Smokescreen had a front row seat to the show and his jaw dropped in shock, not hiding his entertained he was at all.

Arcee hadn't missed it either and grinned to the explosives expert. "Uh oh, better watch out Wheeljack, I think somebody's got eyes for you," the two wheeler teased in passing.

The rest of the Autobots were left in a mix of relief and amusement, save for Wheeljack's open confusion and concern. "Wait what?? Wait-!!" Bumblebee and Bulkhead broke into laughter, Smokescreen clapping Wheeljack on the back and congratulating him. "Was that serious?! He wasn't being serious!"

Optimus let out a cycle of air he didn't know he was holding, relaxing his shoulders just a little at the progress his team seemed to be making. Ratchet's troubled field got his attention and he looked to the medic.

"Something has you worried?" He inquired down to him. Ratchet tisked and propped his hands on his hips.

"They're going to be unstoppable, you know, now that they're getting buddy-buddy. Who else do you know that can get Wheeljack FLUSTERED like that??" Optimus looked back over to the team laughing at the fretting Wrecker. The smile the Prime made was undetectable behind his mask, but highly evident in his soft and amused tone.

"I don't believe it is entirely bad if Wheeljack is on the receiving end of some teasing once in a while."

The medic gaped up at the Autobot leader. "Optimus!" He scolded but the Prime was already heading out to attend to other duties. The medic scrubbed his hand down his face.

"Out of one mess and into another." 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please be sure to check out my tumblr if you haven't already! Same username. My Inbox is always open!


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